Transcript PHIL 104 (STOLZE)

PHIL 104 (STOLZE)
Notes on Heather Widdows,
Global Ethics: An
Introduction, chapter 10
Topics in Chapter Ten
• Environmental Ethics
• Climate Ethics
A Thought Experiment: Invasion from Space
“Suppose our planet were invaded by an intelligent and very powerful species of
aliens that can easily impose their will upon us. Suppose these aliens have studied
the life history of our planet and they have come to understand how we have
wreaked havoc on our planet, driving many species into extinction, and how we still
threaten many other species with extinction. In short, suppose these aliens discover
that we are like a cancer on our biosphere. Suppose further that these aliens are
fully aware of the differences between us and the other species on the planet.
Suppose they clearly recognize that we more closely resemble them in power and
intelligence than any other species on the planet does. Even so, suppose the aliens
still choose to protect those very species we threaten. They begin by forcing us to
use no more resources than we need for a decent life, and this significantly reduces
the threat we pose to many endangered species. However, the aliens want to do
more. In order to save more endangered species, they decide to exterminate a
certain portion of our human population, reducing our numbers to those we had
when we were more in balance with the rest of the biosphere. Now if this were to
happen, would we have moral grounds to object to these actions taken by the
aliens?” (From James Sterba, “Rethinking Global Justice from the Perspective of
All Living Nature and What Difference it Makes,” American Journal of Economics
and Sociology, January 2007)
Two Conceptions of Value
• Instrumental = “nature should be protected because it is useful
to humanity”
• Intrinsic = “nature should be protected for its own sake”
The Climate Crisis: Likely Effects
• Temperature rise
• Sea-level rise
• Extreme weather events such as heat waves, floods,
hurricanes, and droughts
• Large regions of the world becoming uninhabitable
• Large-scale displacement of human communities
• Species extinction
• Ocean acidification
• Destruction of land and sea infrastructures
Hurricane Sandy—The Truth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&list=P
LhpiXTYy84Uy6xiG027P6OaEl7UNpCIii&v=3RtezSDsoes#at=17
The Climate Crisis: Two Kinds of Response
Mitigations:
• Reducing emissions
• Reducing fossil fuel use
• Reducing animal emissions
Adaptions:
• Renewable fuel
• Sea defenses
• Technological defenses, such a genetically modified crops or
geoengineering
The Climate Crisis: Practical Measures
• Carbon quotas, trading policies, or taxes
• Clean development initiatives
• Adaption programs
• Gas extraction from landfill programs
• Renewable energy programs
• Waste reduction and re-use
Problems with the Ethics of Climate Change
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Simple vs. dispersed moral causes and effects
Intergenerational agency
Theoretical ineptitude
The problem annoys people
Some Moral Principles for Addressing Climate Change
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Polluter pays
Ability to pay
Equal Shares
Hybrid principles
The Polluter Pays Principle
• “You Broke It—You Fix It!”
• “Since 1850, the developed world is responsible for a total of
76 per cent of carbon-dioxide emissions, while the developing
world has contributed just 24 per cent (Source: James Garvey, The
Ethics of Climate Change, p. 70).
The Polluter Pays Argument: “You Broke It—You Fix It!”
1. People should contribute to fixing something in proportion to
their responsibility for breaking it.
2. The developed nations have “broken” the earth’s climate
system.
3. Therefore, the developed nations owe it to the rest of the
world to fix the problem with the earth’s climate system.
Objections to the Polluter Pays Argument
• The damage was done by previous generations.
• The damage to the Earth’s climate is an accident or an
unintentional outcome.
Ability to Pay Argument
1. The greater the ability to do what is right, the greater the
obligation to do what is right.
2. The developed nations have a greater ability to take action
on climate change.
3. Therefore, the developed nations have a greater obligation
to take action on climate change.
The Equal Shares Argument
1. Everyone is entitled to an equal share of greenhouse gas
emissions that flow into the global “carbon sink.”
2. Rich nations like the U.S. have already used more than their
share.
3. Therefore, rich nations like the U.S. should immediately
begin to cut back on their greenhouse gas emissions.
A Final Argument: “From We to I”
1. If we in the developed world are wrong to do nothing to stop
runaway climate change, even though we can, then I as an
individual am also wrong to do nothing—especially if I can.
2. But we in the developed world are doing nothing to stop
runaway climate change, even though we can.
3. Therefore, I as an individual am also wrong to do nothing—
especially if I can.